1. Field of the Present Disclosure
This disclosure relates generally to an apparatus and method for determining dimensions of objects using photographic technique.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
Kobayashi et al., US 20060187333 discloses an image pickup device which includes: image pickup means that opposes correctly to a photographic subject, and forms and picks up an image of the same; display means that displays an image data picked up by the image pickup means; distance measuring means that measures a distance to the photographic subject to be picked up by the image pickup means; index display means that displays an index on the display means so as to be superimposed on the image data; angle of inclination measuring means that measures an angle of inclination of the image pickup means when it is inclined so as to align the index displayed by the index display means with a desired portion to be measured; and actual dimension calculating means that calculates actual dimensions of an image of the photographic subject on the basis of a measurement of the distance measuring means and a measurement of the angle of inclination measuring means.
Cha, US 20050201638 discloses a method and a system of measuring an object in a two-dimensional digital image. The object is moved to cover the portion that is outside a viewing window, and a first image of the object, which is captured before the object is moved, and a second image of the object, which is captured after the object is moved are used in measuring. Displacement of the image is detected by comparing the position of one reference point of the object in the first image and the position of the same reference point of the object in the second image. And the geometrical data of the object is calculated with the displacement data. The second image is overlapped with the first image by finding the position at which sum of the luminosity value of the first image and the reversed luminosity value of the second image is minimized.
Kishikawa, US 20050177350 discloses that when creating three-dimensional electronic map data, three-dimensional modeling of a building is performed as follows without measuring height of the building. Firstly, a building is photographed and the photographing position and photographing parameters (camera direction, angle of view) are recorded. Secondly, in a virtual space prepared on a computer, a photograph is arranged so as to reproduce the state upon the photographing according to this data. In combination with this, a plan view of the building is arranged according to the two-dimensional map data. Thirdly, the plan view is moved in the height direction until it is overlapped with the photograph, thereby modeling the building. Thus, it is possible to realize three-dimensional modeling without measuring the height.
Imai et al., US 20040179729 discloses a measurement system in which optimum measurement is conducted depending on an environmental change and movement of an object. The measurement system for measuring an object based on images obtained by plural cameras includes a positional control portion for controlling positions of the cameras to change photographing directions of the cameras, a two-dimensional measurement portion for conducting two-dimensional measurement of the object based on the image of the object, the image being obtained by at least one of the cameras, a stereoscopic measurement portion for conducting stereoscopic measurement of the object based on the images of the object, the images being obtained by the cameras, and a switching portion for switching between the two-dimensional measurement portion and the stereoscopic measurement portion to perform an operation.
Fay et al., US 20020093515 discloses a method for determining one or more dimensions of an object in a two-dimensional image, wherein the image includes the iris of a human being. A size ratio is estimated between the dimension of the object and the diameter of the visible iris, by analyzing the two-dimensional picture. Then, the dimension of the object is approximated based upon the size ratio and also based upon the invariant iris diameter. Use is made of the fact that the diameter of a human iris is substantially identical for all humans above the age of two, and thus an image which includes someone's iris furnishes a measuring device for determining other dimensions in the image. The present invention is especially suited for examining, virtually trying on, and purchasing eyewear from a remote location.
Faulk et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,293,368 discloses an apparatus and method for accurately recording measurements of a window and producing accurate window treatments. A reference strip is provided having measurement indicia thereon, such as a checkerboard pattern of squares of predetermined sizes. The reference strip may be placed proximate a window and photographed. The size of the window may be accurately determined from the resulting photograph using the associated reference strip. The window may also be measured and the measurements stored as biographic data and associated with the photograph to form an accurate and verifiable window biography. The biography may be provided to another party, such as a treatment manufacturer, who verifies the measurements of the biographic data using photograph and produces a suitable window treatment according to the measurements.
Watanabe et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,268,917 discloses an image correction processing apparatus for correcting a pixel value of each pixel constituting image data obtained from an original image affected by the peripheral light-off. The apparatus includes a pixel coordinate transforming unit for converting a distance between each pixel of a group of pixels which have an equal amount of peripheral light amount reduction and which are located on a common contour line of an oval about a predetermined reference pixel located at the center thereof and said predetermined reference pixel into a radius of a true circle having a diameter corresponding to the major axis of the oval; a cos.sup.4 calculating unit for obtaining, for each pixel, an angle value thereof in proportion to the radius obtained by the conversion and then obtaining a cos.sup.4 value of the angle value; and a correction calculating unit for multiplying an inverse of said cos.sup.4 value obtained for each pixel by a pixel value of this pixel, thereby to obtain a corrected pixel value for the pixel.
Anei, U.S. Pat. No. 7,269,281 discloses a method that can conduct accurate correspondence of images in measuring an object based on images obtained by plural cameras so that measurement of the object is conducted precisely. The method includes the steps of capturing plural images by plural cameras, using an image in a photographing area common to the images, ex. image information obtained from an area that is set as a specific area to set camera parameters, using the set camera parameters to photograph the same photographing areas as those when the camera parameters are set so as to capture images anew, the photographing being performed by the plural cameras, determining corresponding points in the newly captured images, and obtaining three-dimensional information of the object included in a photographing area.
Chang et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,266,233 discloses an image measurement system and method for obtaining measurement data on objects by processing images of the objects. The image measurement system includes an image obtaining device for obtaining a first image of an object to be measured and a second image of a standard object, and a plurality of measurement computers linked to the image obtaining device via a communication network. The measurement computers are used for processing the first image and the second image to obtain measurement data on the object. Each of the measurement computers comprises an image obtaining module, an image processing module, and an image measuring module.
Kamon, U.S. Pat. No. 6,987,531 discloses an imaging system in which a two-dimensional photographing device and a unit for three-dimensional measurement are removably attached to each other. The system can be easily used for taking a two-dimensional image and for measuring three-dimensional data. The imaging system is used for conducting three-dimensional measurement of an object and taking a two-dimensional image of the object. The system includes a photographing device and a three-dimensional measurement auxiliary unit formed in a housing provided independently of the photographing device to be removably attached to the photographing device. The photographing device can take a two-dimensional image without the unit and can function as a light receiving portion in three-dimensional measurement to conduct three-dimensional measurement in cooperation with the attached three-dimensional measurement auxiliary unit.
Kamon et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,975,361 discloses a system which is comprised of a two-dimensional photographing device and a three-dimensional measuring device that is removably attached to the two-dimensional photographing device. The two-dimensional photographing device and the three-dimensional measuring device can communicate with each other. Information indicating an operating condition of one of the devices is transmitted to the other device, which receives the information and sets own operating condition in accordance with the received information for photographing or measuring.
Nakayama, U.S. Pat. No. 6,768,813 discloses a photogrammetric image processing apparatus and method which defines a plurality of pairs of images, including a common target as belonging to the same groups (pairs). The apparatus provides an image display area and drawing area on the screen of the display device, displaying images of a pair on the image display area, calculating a valid mapping range for the pair, displaying an area marker showing the valid mapping range on the survey map superimposed in the drawing area, designating corresponding image points on the image of the pair to calculate the three-dimensional coordinates of physical points, and generating a survey map based on the three-dimensional coordinates.
Nakayama, U.S. Pat. No. 6,618,498 discloses an image processing computer system for a photogrammetric measurement in which a survey map is produced based on plural pictures under a three-dimensional coordinate system. A picture-arranging system rearranges the pictures to select plural pairs of pictures from among the pictures such that each pair of pictures is fixed to produce a survey map section. A picture-connecting system successively connects the plural pair pictures to each other. A monitor displays a scene including first and second display areas. The pairs of pictures are selectively displayed on the first display area, and a pair of object points corresponding to each other on two pictures in each pair are indicated. The coordinates of an object point represented by the pair of indicated object points are calculated, and the calculated coordinates on a plane defined by the coordinate system. The projected coordinates is displayed as a point representing said object point concerned on the second display area.
Watanabe et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,097,850 discloses a method of measuring an unknown photographic parameter (distortion coefficient or focal length) from an image taken by a camera of which the photographic parameter is unknown. An image to be measured is entered, the photographic parameter to be measured (distortion coefficient or focal length) is designated, an image region necessary for measuring the photographic parameter in the image to be measured is designated, a characteristic relating to the photographic parameter to be measured is extracted from the designated image region, and the photographic parameter is calculated according to a specified operation processing on the basis of the quantity and position of the extracted characteristic.
Taylor et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,979 discloses a remote wound assessment method and apparatus which includes forming an oblique image of a wound and a target plate containing a rectangle which is then placed near the wound. Using a novel method of determining vanishing points where photographic images of parallel lines on the target object intersect, coordinate transformations are calculated which map the oblique image of the rectangle into a normal image thereof. Using the same coordinate transformations, an oblique image of a wound adjacent to the target plate is mapped into a normal view thereof, allowing precise measurement of wound features. By forming two separate images of a wound and target plate at two different oblique inclinations, three dimensional features of a wound may be measured.
Ohashi et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,910,817 discloses a method and apparatus for observing vehicles on a road or in a parking lot, the apparatus comprising a pair of cameras directed toward a predetermined observation position and simultaneously taking pictures. A characteristic portion in each of the respective pictures is extracted. The extracted characteristic portions of the respective pictures are corresponded to the pictures, and the corresponded characteristic portion is measured in three-dimensions to extract the three-dimensional coordinates of the characteristic portions. The three-dimensional coordinates of the extracted characteristic portions are projected on a virtual perpendicular plane, and the projected data is compared with pre-determined two dimensional model data to discriminate the object.
Yoshimi, JP 63214888 discloses an invention that measures the end position of an object accurately while excluding causes of error due to a change in lighting or the shape of the end by applying statistical processing to the picture edge.
The related art described above discloses several apparatus and methods for photographic based pictorial measurements. However, the prior art fails to disclose a simple system as described herein for quick and accurate measurements using a camera. The present disclosure distinguishes over the prior art providing heretofore unknown advantages as described in the following summary.